Wizards of the Coast announces free Dungeons & Dragons basic rulebook

Collectible card game publisher Wizards of the Coast announced the launch of a free digital rulebook for basic Dungeons & Dragons available to download through its official website.

While the basic Dungeons & Dragons PDF won't go into detail on any game setting, it is equivalent to the old Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia, the publisher states.

The PDF runs from levels one through 20, and covers the cleric, fighter, rogue and wizard classes, alongside the essential subclass for each. It also provides the dwarf, elf, halfling and human as race options.

"At the launch of the D&D Starter Set, Basic D&D will include the material needed to create characters and advance to 20th level," reads a statement from the company's senior manager for research and design Mike Mearls. "In August, with the release of the Player's Handbook, Basic D&D will expand to include the essential monsters, magic items, and DM rules needed to run the game, along with the rules for wilderness, dungeon, and urban adventuring. (The Starter Set already covers the aspects of these rules that you need to run the included campaign.)

"As we introduce new storylines like Tyranny of Dragons, we'll also make available free PDFs that provide all the rules and stats missing from Basic D&D needed to run the adventures tied into the story. The adventures released as part of Tyranny of Dragons are playable without requiring any of the core rulebooks or the Starter Set. With just the Basic Dungeons & Dragons rules, you can play D&D for years."